Grandma's Marathon - June 21, 2009

Yesterday I ran Grandma's Marathon completing my 5th marathon over the past two years.  This race begins in Two Harbors ending in Duluth. Typically this marathon is considered one in which a PR can be obtained because the course is basically straight with limited hills.  Also, the runners usually benefit from a cool breeze off Lake Superior. So I was hoping to improve upon my 3:31 best at Boston.

Gail and I drove to Duluth Friday morning. It was partly sunny and cool, with high humidity. Watching the weather forecast all week, it appeared the humidity would be the biggest concern, but temps were forecast to remain in the low 60's on race morning. This past week was our first blast of humidity all year in the Twin Cities, and I noticed how lethargic I felt in my training runs even in cool temps. My body has not had to adjust to running in humidity and I was a bit concerned how this would play out in Duluth.

Friday evening, we had dinner and then watched the 5k race associated with Grandma's weekend festivities. Temps were dropping like a rock. It was about 52 degrees with a breeze off the bay, and humidity was so high a thick fog rolled in. Even in heavy sweatshirts, we froze watching the 5k event and made a dash to the hotel to warm up afterward. The local news still indicated the morning temp would be in the upper 50's at the start of the race and mid 60's by noon. They also said a 10-15 mph NW wind would be blowing the humidity out of the area as the race progressed, but it would still be hazy with a little fog at the start.

The marathon started at 7:30am, so I got up at 5:00 am to catch one of the buses from our hotel to the starting line. All runners are required to take one of the official marathon transportation buses to the start (like Boston). They don't allow or have the facilities in Two Harbors for 8,000 runners to descend on the start with their own vehicles. One would also need to figure out how to return to Two Harbors to pick up their car afterward. Anyway, I was surprised when I walked outside my hotel in the morning and saw a crystal clear sky. There was no fog, haze or even a sign of a lingering cloud. The breeze had already picked up as well. As I stepped off the bus in Two Harbors, the temperature was very comfortable in the mid 60's and it was still just 6:30 in the morning. One would prefer it to be a bit chilly at the start, so this was not a good omen.

I sought shade to stretch and prepare for the race. Some runners foolishly warmed up to the point where they were covered in sweat as they waited in the starting corrals. I remember thinking these guys will pay dearly for this blunder in the next few hours. As the race began, the temp was about 70 degrees with 80% humidity. Within the first mile, I was already sweating heavily. There was no way to escape the sun on old highway 61 as it was directly on our backs the entire morning as we began our trek to Duluth. Emily and Andrew drove up late Friday to watch the race with Gail. Andrew did a great job navigating the select locations where spectators could drive down to the highway. About every 3-4 miles I ran past them as they provided vocal support. Since there are no towns between Two Harbors and Duluth, much of the course was without fan support with the exception of these select locations every 3-4 miles where one could gain road access from the north.

The run itself was spectacular from a scenic standpoint. With crystal blue sky, green trees and a very blue Lake Superior with its rocky cliffs to our left, I found myself distracted by the beautiful scenery. However, with the climbing temps I knew I had to pay close attention to my fluid intake. Each mile felt hotter and hotter as the sun continued to climb behind us, and the wind was from the NW so we had no lake effect benefit either. There was a stretch around the 10k mark where we did get a light breeze off the lake and it felt heavenly! I was hoping there was more of this to come but unfortunately it only lasted about 3 miles and that was it.  I decided early on I would still try to run my goal pace (a 3:20 marathon), 10 minutes faster than Boston, although I knew it would be highly unlikely I would be able to maintain it under the extreme heat and humidity we were dealing with. In addition, the winds were now blowing from the west and more directly into our faces. On the one hand, it helped with the heat, but on the other hand, it was another obstacle to overcome.

I passed the halfway point still on a 3:20 pace, but I was soaked with sweat and my clothing, shoes and socks were also drenched as I poured water on my head, down my front and back at every water station. Sponges and ice were also handed out by the volunteers which helped. I held large ice cubes in both hands and periodically wiped them across my forehead and neck to try to stay cool. At the beginning of each water station, my routine was to dump the water on me first, then drink water and grab ice/sponge if they had it. Doesn't sound difficult except you are on the run and trying to avoid other runners doing the same thing. I messed up several water stations by either dropping my water in the hand-off with the volunteer or grabbing a cup that was only 1/3 full! This forced me to drink two cups when I got to the next station. It doesn't feel good to have water sloshing around in your stomach.

From the 6 mile mark on, I passed runner after runner as runners ahead of me were falling off the pace in bunches. Many runners resorted to walking brief stretches in hope of recovering from the heat. There were very few runners that passed me after mile 6. I maintained my pace through mile 19 as we entered the east end of Duluth but could tell my body was really starting to suffer. Although my pace slowed somewhat I was still running sub 8 minute miles over 'Lemon drop Hill' - mile 22. The last 4 miles were another story. This stretch of the race pulled us into downtown Duluth and further away from the lake. The temp in Duluth was reaching 80 degrees at this point and we were running into a stiff west wind. My pace fell off with mile 25 being my slowest mile at 8:25.

I gutted out the last 1:2 miles in an 8:20 pace crossing the finish line in 3:25:21 (7:50 mile pace overall) - my best marathon by 6 minutes. There were 8,500 runners registered for the marathon but only 6,000 runners finished the race, with the weather conditions accounting for a high number of dropouts. When I looked at the race results, I was surprised to find out I finished 314th place overall and 13th of 330 in my age group. I could tell I was improving my position as the race progressed but never thought I would come close to finishing near the top 300. I'm feeling much better today but it was not a fun afternoon yesterday. I was sick for 3 hours after the race and couldn't keep anything down including water. I felt better in the evening and began eating like a horse. This was the first time I ever questioned myself afterward as to why I do this. It was definitely the most brutal marathon I have run with the combination of sun, heat, humidity and wind considering the pace I was running.

Annette was tracking my progress online and mentioned that the website had a "live cam'" option where she was actually able to see me run across the finish line. I had no idea their website provided this feature but kind of neat. Although Andrew, Emily and Gail tracked me through mile 24, they were unable to make their way to the finish line to see me finish because of heavy traffic and crowds.

Well, I have a number of races lined up for the summer ranging from 5k to half marathons with one 20 mile race in September. Then it's on to New York for the NYC marathon - the largest marathon in the US with 45,000 runners! They actually received over 120,000 applications for the race and used a lottery to determine entries. Fortunately I had a pre-qualifying time so I didn't have to leave my destiny in the hands of the lottery. Since the race is November 1st, I'm hoping 80 degree weather is not likely, but in the my 5 marathons I have yet to experience ideal running conditions even once. New York will cooperate - right?

http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=10959&relist_record_type=result&lower_bound=0&upper_bound=5998&use_previous_sql=1&group_by=default#racetop